Palop avoided being sent-off for his bust-up with the Spain star in an incident that left Valencia teammates fuming.

Juan Mata said: "I was the closest and it was an assault. Palop had to be sent off. The referee was beside me and I'm sure he must have seen it. I was surprised to see his expression because he had caught the ball and went looking for Villa. Andre was wrong and he knows it."

Ever Banega also rapped: "Palop tried to hurt El Guaje most clearly. Such actions should not be done because you will seriously injure a player. He did it knowingly and acted very badly. He should be sent off."